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Vol. 11 No. 1

Sharing Knowledge, Power, and Respect: Keys in Bringing Communities Together to Improve Science, Practice, and Relationships

Submitted
February 21, 2011
Published
2011-02-21

Abstract

Are communities better off because of the efforts of higher
education? Extension educators have extended universitybased
research and technologies that have helped create strong,
natural resource–based communities. However, the political
and socioeconomic environments in which these communities
function are changing even faster than the natural environments.
Extension educators boast about being change agents, but are
they themselves changing? A team of campus/county-based
extension faculty transformed themselves from academic
experts into colearners who worked with the practice community
and the science/management community to address three critical
issues: industry transformation, deteriorating relationships
between communities, and improving science through cooperative
research. One example highlights the importance of
involving the impacted community as an equal partner in
designing and implementing a federally declared fisheries disaster
program. Another illustrates the benefits of two innovative
venues for improving science and relationships between practitioners
and scientists.